Welcome to Litsy!

I know again this is just a novel, I'm not very good at getting books from a series that are really good. But the November book The River was just so good that I plan to read more from this author. Does that count? #SeriesChallenge @maich

Only one bingo spot with this one #ISpyBngoNovember @Clwojick @TheAromaofBooks

Two Readathons with this book #ReadAway24 #36by36Readathon I finished one of the books intended to read for the #36by36Readathon 4 hours read, don't remember the #chapters lol @MatchlessMarie @DieAReader @Andrew65 @GHABI4ROSES

This book was full of Canadian images of Northern Ontario. Loved the writing and the mystery. The story of two best friends going on a canoe trip to a village on Hudson Bay until they meet a couple of other people and notice a really big forest fire. A page turner. A story of survival. The photo is of an early sunrise on the lake 2 minutes away from my house. Muskrat Lake. #FoodandLit @Catsandbooks @Texreader

I could hardly put this book down. The suspense was killing me. Also, I need more wilderness-based mysteries. Finally, Heller is a Denver-based author that appeals too.

#River #StorySettings

@Eggs
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Have had this one on my TBR forever & it did not disappoint! Ripped through it in two days. And put The Guide on hold.

⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#Booked2023 - set in a mountainous region

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This week, I‘ll be attending the first meeting of my office‘s brand new IRL book club and I‘m actually pretty excited about it! I‘m looking forward to meeting other people who work for the same company (a bank) that I do, who share a love for reading. It feels a little first-date adjacent, TBH. I‘m especially thrilled that this is our first book! A re-read for me, I was again entranced by the tension, sense of place, and the boys‘ bond.

I was looking for a book featuring the great outdoors and found it with this nature-set thriller about two young men who find too much adventure in the wilderness.

Jack and Wynn bonded over a love of nature and novels. One summer, they head up to Canada in a canoe. After spotting a wildfire, they attempt to warn other trekkers and find a disheveled man wandering after getting to a spat with his wife. But something about his story doesn‘t add up.

In this book the #river is definitely another character in the story. #savvysettings

@BeckyWithTheGoodBooks @carlthecattt @Kappadeemom Do any of these work for #lmpbc (mystery/thriller)? All books tagged in comments!

Loving this so far!

#Scarathlon #TeamSlaughter Last One

Oh man. So good. Loved it. Loved the narrator. Can't wait for the next book by Peter heller. I just have to wait 8+weeks for it to come available at the library...

Started this morning with bourbon iced coffee & a good book 📚

Uggggh. I'm going to miss this so much when it's done....

Wow, what a wild ride. This story had so much going for it. From a wildfire that threatens the main characters to other people along the river who do harm. Wild. Great story. The cadence of the story was hard to get into at the start but once you get into it. It's excellent. It's a Rush of a story

There are books with more elegant language. But. A beautiful friendship always gets me.

This book! I haven‘t read anything that combined the lyrical, awful beauty of nature with a gripping story since James Dickey‘s Deliverance. I couldn‘t stop reading. Has anyone read other Heller titles?

My book pairing with the #JonVoight movie Deliverance.

#MoviesinMay @Klou

Adventure/wilderness/mystery
Loved adventure and wilderness in this book. Felt as if I was transported into the story paddling with them, but couldn't care less for the mystery and suspense, that didn't work for me. Overall a good writer and book, but I would have enjoyed it more if there had not been the crime bit squeezed in. Wouldn't be surprised if they turn it into a movie...

This book was a strong 4 star for me until the end. The author so eloquently describes the Canadian wilderness, I felt like I was in the canoe along with the characters. The slow burn of the storyline ramped up the tension - until an ending which I felt was a major let down and wrapped up far to quickly. This dropped the book to a 3 star for me.

Thank you @Tattooedteacher and @laurenashley - for your lovely letters. They are my first #litsylove mail!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️ • I liked this more than I thought I would. I found the nature descriptions and plot to be interesting, but my mind wandered during Jack and Wynn‘s backstories.

This was kind of a strange book. Not my typical read, more of a thriller. It clipped along at a good pace and I was interested enough to finish. Overall though, the ending was pretty anticlimactic.

The book was ok. Events in the book were just very sad. On the plus side, bingo!! I used the free space as an opportunity to read something that sounded interesting.

Just finished the River. It reminded me of a few movies I‘ve seen where relationships transform when confronted with Nature but this was a beautifully written literary version of those. There were some areas that got weighed down by description but it was well plotted and sad.

2 college friends decide to go on a canoe trip in Canada. Along the way, they realize a forest fire is approaching. They overhear a man and woman arguing, but can‘t see where they are. The next day they meet a man in a large canoe alone. Where is the woman he was arguing with? Despite these interesting plot lines, Heller had a tendency to get overly descriptive at times. Overall, I enjoyed the story and think it would make a great movie.

Loved this tale about 2 men on a canoe trip who end up in danger. Amazing descriptive writing. Man vs nature, man vs man and man vs himself.. covers it all. Lol. Beautifully tragic. A 5 star read for me.

#survivalsituation #tropesinAugust @Klou

The River is a story of two young men who embark on an adventure down the Maskwa River in Canada. Along the way they meet with a large wildfire and a domestic dispute. Both add some drama to a beautiful tale which begins as an ode to nature and adventure.
Heller explores many themes in this short novel including friendship, a love of literature, The wilderness, survival and the importance of listening to your intuition.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks The odds are in my favor that eventually, even picking randomly from my list, I have to get a Bingo soon. 😉

I really loved this one. The descriptions of the river and nature were beautifully written, mixed in with the creepy whodunit storyline, made for a perfect combination. I devoured this book in just a few hours because I just couldn't put it down.

Thank you @Crazeedi for the tag. #ThoughtfulThursday is always fun to participate in. @MoonWitch94

🎒 I don't really have much in my closet, but I'd say my different colored laces for my variety of Converse colors is probably my favorite accessory.

🌵 I haven't traveled much, so no desert trips yet.

📚 I'm reading the tagged book and enjoying it so far.

If you haven't been tagged, I'd love to see your answers.

Looking for recommendations. I feel like reading something set in the forest. Something along the lines of Evergreen, Hatchet, The River, ... but no Carl Hiaasen right now. Thanks.

#Bucolic #Beautifulwords

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @OriginalCyn620

When I first started this one, I almost set it aside – I did not like the writing style at all. But there was something that kept me reading, and I‘m really glad I kept at it because this was a great story. Well thought and plotted, full of tension and suspense, at times I felt breathless. The writing style either grew on me or I stopped noticing it.

I just lived and breathed by this book for two days. The story is it‘s own river: a slow paddle, a white-knuckle rapid, deep and dark, cool and clear. Not knowing what was around the next turn was exhilarating and frightening. Arguably one of the best adult-male-friendship stories I‘ve read, to boot. Loved this, my first Peter Heller...am headed to The Dog Stars next.

Beautiful morning for a #LitsyBitsy.

I don‘t really leave my neighborhood these days so I‘m just doing the 2 mile loop

Final stats for #24b4monday

2 mile #LitsyBitsy through the neighborhood.
It‘s overcast but the temperature is perfect 👌🏼

I'm finally posting my March wrap up. It's the third month on a row I read 21 books. Weird coincidence and still more than I typically read in a month.

16 female authors
5 male
1 nonfiction
6 with 4 or more stars

I really don‘t know how Peter Heller manages to infuse his books with the peace and slower pace of nature while still making them page-turners, but he does! I‘ll be reading more by Heller, for sure!

I felt like I was right there with these boys: seeing the beauty and then the devastation, feeling their joy and then their fear. I've only read one other Peter Heller book and I HATED IT so I was extra pleased to enjoy this so much.

Unusually for me, I have this in both hard cover and ebook. I'm making sure to read the physical version today as my grandbaby is in residence and I don't feel that he's exposed to nearly enough books.

Starting this tonight #bookmap

The River is an adventure tale. Two college aged boys set out on a canoe trip in a remote Canadian area. They meet both natural and human adversaries. I found it to be repetitive through most of the book, though I did love the descriptions from Heller. I felt real emotions right along with these characters. A pick for the excellent writing.

Finished with a delicious lunch of walnut beet salad, latte and vegan chocolate chip cookie. 🛶

My mother in law delivered a tray of brownies and a mocha to me at work today. I was in a chocolate coma! I've been listening to this one as an #audiobook and I'm interested to see where it is headed! 🛶

On the road again, with another highly anticipated book!
#theriver
#peterheller
#ontheroadagain

It turned out to be a great reading year! Here are my top ten favorites (in two posts), in no particular order: The Little House on the Prairie series, From Scratch, The River, North and South, and The Starless Sea.

What great books did you read this year? #2019 #toptenbooks